Column - John Kanelis: Think and speak kindly of us, Oprah - please

As I understand it, you're going to spend part of the next 10 months or so reflecting on the paths your show has taken.

Allow me to ask this one favor: Don't diss Amarillo and the Panhandle when you reminisce about your television journey.

I don't need to remind you of the impact you had on this part of the world on April 16, 1996, when you blurted out on national TV that you were done eating burgers.

That guy on your show who contended that beef was a primary source of mad cow disease prompted that comment from you.

And then it really hit the fan, didn't it?

Cattlemen were outraged. Paul Engler, one of the leading cattle feeders in the Panhandle, surely got his dander up. That lawsuit he filed in federal court, contending that your program defamed the beef industry, was one for the books, wasn't it?

But the best part of it all was that you brought your show to Amarillo.

You were here for, what, five weeks? Your tapings at the Amarillo Little Theatre, which the ALT staff so graciously reconfigured into a TV set, were packed every night.

All the while, you were in U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson's courtroom during the day. I understood that you showed visible signs of fatigue during the night-time taping of your show.

But your fans stuck with you, Oprah. And, boy, did they ever show up at the ALT, not to mention in front of the Federal Courts Building - in the biting cold. They were there for you each day of your trial.

I hope you remember that as you recall your extended stay in the Panhandle.

I also hope you'll recall how, when word went out that you would come here to tape your show, that frantic Panhandle fans were so enthused about seeing you in person that they clogged phone circuits trying to reserve seats at the Little Theatre.

I had heard stories back then about how folks here had to call friends and family far away, and ask them to call the local ticket outlet here just to ensure they had a clear phone line.

That's what I call "love," Oprah.

I'm glad the trial ended in your favor. I dare say that most folks here were glad as well. Yes, the cattlemen were unhappy with the trial outcome. But the truth is they didn't have a prayer.

You know as well as anyone how much the First Amendment protects free speech.

The plaintiffs in your trial had a nearly impossible hurdle to clear if they were going to prove you actually defamed them.

What's more, no one really believes that the cattle industry suffered permanent damage from the scientist's appearance on your show, or from your "no more burgers" outburst.

And as you recall your Amarillo sojourn, please ensure that you don't repeat the "tough town" talk that TV journalist Diane Sawyer laid on you when she interviewed you shortly after you won your court case.

This town is no tougher than any other place - and you surely were given large helpings of love and affection from your adoring fans here. I've long wondered what kind of reception you would have received back home in Chicago if you had blurted out something highly critical of, say, Michael Jordan.

I have no way of knowing what's in your heart about Amarillo, Oprah. But we played a significant role in your television journey.

I'm glad you emerged unscathed from your time here.

Many of us here also will be delighted if you recall this region with some fondness as you relive that time.

Good luck as you begin phasing out your TV show and start preparing for the next big adventure.

Think kindly of us, Oprah, as your show winds its way toward its September 2010 conclusion.

And we would appreciate it if you would express a kind thought about us out loud.

John Kanelis is editorial page editor of the Globe-News. He can be reached at john.kanelis@amarillo.com. Read his blog at johnkanelis.blog.spot.com.